System of electrical distribution.



APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25,1906.

PatentedJan. 2, 1912.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESSES:

COLUMBIA PLANOGBAPH 50., WASHINGTON, D. C

ufiuTnn STATES PATENT orrrcn,

FREDERICK DAB-LINGTON, F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WEST- INGI-IOUSE ELECTRIC & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

SYSTEM OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION.

Application filed June 25, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK DARLINGTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Systems of Electrical Distribution, of which the following is a specification.

way systems are frequently suspended by means of insulators from supporting wires or brackets that are secured to wooden poles or other wooden or inflammable )arts. In such systems, if the trolley conc uctor becomes connected to the supporting wires or brackets in any manner, as by the breaking of an insulator, the wooden poles may become ignited and destroyed with consequent danger to adjacent structures.

According to the present invention, the trolley conductor is divided into a plurality of sections that are connected by circuitbreakers, and the supporting wires or brackets for each section are connected by means of auxiliary conductors the terminals of which are grounded, tripping magnet windings for the circuit-breakers being connected in circuit therewith, and also with the trolley conductor, in such a manner that when the trolley conductor becomes electrically connected to its supports or to the ground, the section of thetrolley conductor to which the injury has occurred will be isolated by the opening of the circuit-breakers at its terminals.

The single figure of the accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic view of a system that embodies my invention.

A trolley conductor 1 of a railway system, that comprises also a track rail 2, is divided into a plurality of sections 3, 4, 5,

Specification of Letters Patent.

The trolley conductors of electric rail- Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

Serial No. 323,365.

6 ancL 7, and is here shown as secured by means of insulators 8 to supporting wires 9 that are stretched between wooden poles 10, though it may be supported by other structures, if desired. The trolley conductor is supplied from suitable sources, such as those shown at 11 and 12, the source 11 being connected thereto beyond the sections 3 and 4 by means of circuit-breakers 13 and 14, and the source 12 being connected between the sections 6 and 7 by means of circuit-breakers 15 and 16. Sections 4 and 5 of the trolley conductor are connected by means of a circuit-breaker 17 and the sections 5 and 6 by means'of a circuit-breaker 18, and the circuit-breakers 13 to 18 inclusive, are provided, respectively, with tripping magnet windings 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and 24, that are connected in circuit with the trolley conductor, and become sufficiently energized to permit opening of the corresponding circuit-breakers only when the current in the trolley conductor is abnormally large.

The supporting wires for the respective sections of the trolley conductor are connected to auxiliary conductors 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29, the terminals of which are grounded at the ends of the sections. The circuitbreakers 13 and 14 are provided with tripping magnet windings 30 and 31 that are connected in circuit, respectively, with the auxiliary conductors 25 and 26, and the circuit-breakers 15 and 16 are similarly provided with tripping magnet windings 32 and 33 that are connected, respectively, in circuit with auxiliary conductors 28 and 29. The circuit-breaker 17 is provided with tripping magnet windings 34 and 35 that are connected in circuit, respectively, with conductors 26 and 27, and circuit-breaker 18 is similarly provided with tripping magnet windings 36 and 37 that are connected, re-

spectively, in the circuit with auxiliary low resistance grounded connections will be afforded for the auxiliary conductors. Each of the impedance devices is here shown as comprising a magnetizable core 39 and a comparatively fine wire winding 410 there for that is connected between enlarged termi nal pieces 41 and 42, the insulation of the winding 40 being destroyed upon the continuance of more than a predetermined amount of current in the circuits of the auxiliary conductors, and low resistance con nections being thus formed between the terminal pieces 41 and 42. i

In order to explain the operation of the invention, it may be first assumed that the section 5 of the trolley conductor becomes accidentally connected to one of the supporting wires 9 therefor. Circuits are then established from the trolley conductor through the accidental connection between the conductor and the supporting wire, in opposite directions through the auxiliary conductor 27 and through tripping magnet windings 35 and 36 of the circuitbreakers 17 and 18. The circuit-breakers 17 and 18 are thus caused to open and the section 5 of the trolley conductor becomes disconnected from the remainder of the system. The amounts of current that traverse the auxiliary conductor are limited by means of the impedance devices 38 so that no great amount of current is taken from the system upon the occurrence of an injury thereto. If, however the circuit-breakers should stick, or if for any other reason they should not operate immediately, the continuation of the current in the windings of the impedance devices will cause them to be destroyed and a low resistance ground connection will be afforded for the auxiliary conductor and a greater amount of current will thus be permitted to traverse it. The greater amount of current traversing the windings 35 and 36 will cause them to exert greater forces upon the tripping mechanisms for the circuit-breakers, and will thus insure their opening before serious damage is done to the system. At the same time, larger amounts of current will traverse the windings 23 and 24, which will also cause greater forces to be exerted upon the tripping mechanisms for the circuit-breakers and assist in effecting their opening.

If the section 4: of the trolley conductor should become connected in any manner to one or more of the supporting wires 9 there for, circuits will be established from the trolley conductor through the accidental connection to the auxiliary conductor 26, and through the tripping magnet windings 31 and 34 of the circuitbreakers lt and 17, which will then operate in a manner that will be readily understood from the foregoing description of the operation of the circuit-breakers 17 and 18. If any section of a trolley conductor should become grounded without becoming connected to one of the auxiliary conductors the circuitbreakers at the terminals of the injured section will be permitted or caused to open because of the abnormal amounts of current which will traverse the trolley conductor and the tripping magnet windings that are in circuit therewith.

In order that the system may operate in the manner set forth, the circuitbreaker tripping magnet windings that are connected in circuit with the auxiliary conductors 25 to 29, inclusive, will ordinarily become sufficiently energized to effect opening of the circuit-breakers when comparatively small amounts of current traverse them. Thus, when the trolley conductor becomes connected to the supports 9, the poles may serve as poor insulators, or rather as high resistance conductors, and permit a sufficient amount of current to traverse the auxiliary tripping magnet windings to effect opening of the circuit-breakers before injury to the poles occurs. The auxiliary tripping magnet windings for the circuit-breakers cause the breakers at the terminals of an injured section to open before the other circuitbreakers in the system are caused to open by reason of an excessive amount of current traversing the system and the main tripping magnet windings. Thus, it is seen that upon the occurrence of an injury to the trolley conductor, the injured section thereof will be automatically disconnected from the remainder of the system before other and more serious damage can be done.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a system of distribution, the combination with a conductor comprising a plurality of sections, supports therefor, and insulators for connecting the conductors to the supports, of a circuit-breaker for connecting each pair of adjacent sections of the conductor together, auxiliary conductors electrically connected to the supports for the respective sections of the main conductor, and a plurality of tripping magnet windings for each circuit-breaker, said windings Leing in circuit, respectively, with the auxiliary conductors of adjacent sections.

2. In a system of distribution, the combination with a conductor comprising a plurality of sections, supports therefor, and insulators for connecting the conductors to the supports, of a circuit-breaker for connecting each pair of adjacent sections of the conductor together, auxiliary conductors electrically connected to the supports for the.

respective sections of the main conductor, and a plurality of tripping magnet windings for each circuit-breaker, said windings being connected in circuit, respectively, with the main conductor and with the auxiliary conductors of adjacent sections.

3. In a system of distribution, the combination with a conductor comprising a plurality of sections, supports therefor, and insulators for connecting the conductors to the supports, of a circuit-breaker for connecting each pair of adjacent sections of the conductor together, auxiliary conductors electrically connected to the supports for the respective sections of the main conductor, and a plurality of tripping magnet windings for each circuit-breaker, said windings being connected in circuit, respectively, with the main conductor and with the auxiliary conductors.

4. In a system of distribution, the combination with a conductor comprising a plurality of sections, supports therefor, and insnlators for connecting the conductors to the supports, of a circuit-breaker for connecting each pair of adjacent sections of the con ductor together, auxiliary conductors electrically connected to the supports for the respective sections of the main conductor and the terminals of which are permanently grounded, and a plurality of tripping magnet windings for the circuit-breakers, said windings being connected in circuit, respectively, with the auxiliary conductors of addance devices also connected in circuit with the auxiliary conductors.

6. In a system of distribution, the combination with a conductor comprising a plurality of sections, supports therefor, and insulators for connecting the conductors to the supports, of circuit-breakers for connecting the sections of the conductor together, auxiliary conductors connected tothe supports for the respective sections of the main conductor and having grounded terminals, circuit-breaker tripping magnet windings connected in circuit, respectively, with the auxiliary conductors of adjacent sections, impedance devices also connected in circuit with the auxiliary conductors, and means for causing removal of the impedance devices from the circuits upon the continuance of currents therein for more than the predetermined period of time.

7. In a system of distribution, the combination with a conductor comprising a plu rality of sections, supports therefor, and insulators for connecting the conductor to the supports, of a source of energy, circuitbreakers for connecting the same to adj acentsections of the conductor, auxiliary conductors electrically connected to the supports for the respective sections of the main conductor, and circuit-breaker tripping magnet windings connected in series, respectively, with the adjacent sections of the main conductor and with the auxiliary conductors of said sections.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this th day of June, 1906.

FREDERICK DARLINGTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

